In 1698 the nonjuring clergyman Jeremy Collier launched a frontal attack on Restoration comedy, charging Dryden, Congreve, Vanbrugh and others with smut, profanity, abuse of the clergy and the rewarding of vice. He measures their plays against the standards of the ancient stage, quoting scene and line.
The pamphlet that set off a famous controversy and drew replies from Congreve and Vanbrugh themselves. Download the free EPUB.